Don’t be fooled by the cover, the content of this musician’s book has substance. Coffee and empathy for weapon, Ed opens up to 1inmusic about music, about his upcoming project Red Omen and about his definition of success.

1inmusic: What is unique about you and your music? 

Ed. One of the things about music that people have to realize is that it’s not something that is created solely by one individual. It is a conglomeration of the collective consciousness of the moment in time we live in. I’m continually trying to understand what the music is saying to me and how I need to transmit what that information actually is. Uniqueness comes from each individual and our own wonderful perspectives on our lives and our relationships. I’m more interested in letting the music take me over and allowing myself to be the conduit for its existence. It’s a fusion of life and art. There are so many things I could say that shape me but really it’s the moment in time that I existed in and its space.

1inmusic: When did you realize you were going to make music professionally?

Ed. I’d have to say I was about eight or nine years old. I saw how powerful imagery and lyrics could be to so many peoples lives and enrich people’s consciousness with philosophical ideas about how we relate to one another. Artist like the Beatles, Bob Dylan and so many others made me want to connect on the far deeper level to my world environment. This is what makes me feel human.

1inMusic: Who has been supporting you?

Ed.  I have so much wonderful support from so many people all over the world and that includes so many friends and family members. Their encouragement is what has kept me going for so many years.

1inmusic: As you know, support is something not all musicians gets easily. Who, to you, are the most undervalued music artist?

Ed. The goliath entertainment industry that has been built which we have come to know as the music business is not where you will find undervalued music and artists. The undervalued music and artists are right in your own backyard. They are the ones that are playing the clubs, small bars, live events and everything in between. We are the ones out there practicing our craft every day of our lives. We quite often drive hundreds if not thousands of miles to perform music for people and in most cases get paid nothing. We produce records and make albums continually. We practice our crafts in some cases for over 35 or 40 years of dedicated our lives to what we do. I would say the ones that are most undervalued are the ones that you speak to every day. They are the ones that are ignored by their own countries and the public in their very environment. Music has become commercialized to the point that it is devalued in the human condition. You will find classic iconic social political songs now in video games and TV commercial selling cars. The public has lost their verve for what this art form really is.

1inmusic: What type of music do you listen to?

Ed. I listen to so many styles of music it would be very difficult for me to pinpoint just what it is. I go through stages of listening with many different artists over a long period of time almost like I’m researching them. This would include everything from Jazz, Funk, Folk, Reggae, Rhythm and Blues, Pop music, Eastern European Gypsy, Classical and just about everything in the kitchen sink. Some of my greatest mentors on a philosophical level taught me music should not have a prejudiced and the more you listen to the stronger you become.

1inmusic: Those mentors must also be muses. What ignites your (song) writing flow?

Ed. I’m an empath. It is not uncommon that you will find me prone to extreme jubilation and at the same time angry enough to put my fist through a wall. There are so many injustices and things that go on all over our world every second of it every day. If you were a conscious thinking human being with any form of empathy you will realize how easy it is to react on these positive and negative feelings. I’m  blessed that I was able to grow up in environment where people nurtured these passions in me and turn them into something like music.

1inmusic: So how do you prepare for your performances?

Ed. Coffee…

1inmusic: We’re curious, Ed… what do you do when you don’t do music (creative or otherwise) and that you are passionate about?

Ed. I’m extremely interested in history and socio-politics. I sometimes spend hours of my time researching so much of what has occurred. I come from an extremely political background and I am continually delving into the crypto politics and esoteric agenda behind our daily lives. I am also extremely passionate about food and agriculture. One who controls food controls the world. I’m a huge proponent of the organic movement. The organic movement is nothing new as my family background comes from multiple generations of farming. This is something we’ve always done and it’s something I will continue to practice. It’s what reconnects me with my living environment in a far more animalistic and humanistic way. I am a vegetable I am an animal.

1inmusic: What do you wish you have been told when you started out and that you think would help anyone who starts out?

Ed. Never try to be anybody but yourself. We are all defined by our influences and our limitations but the thing that we sometimes don’t allow or see in ourselves is us to be us. This is the easiest thing in the hardest thing that most of us need to overcome to find our true voice.

1inmusic: We’re coming to the end of this interview and would love to know a couple of things. First, please complete this sentence: “Success to you is…

[Ed.] … nothing more than being able to practice my craft and live my life in a simple and peaceful fashion. Materialism and the triumph of the ego is something for me that is borderline evil. I don’t need mansions and I don’t need jet planes. I just need my art to function…”

1inmusic: Many thanks, Ed! Any upcoming projects and where can we find more about them?

Ed. RED OMEN. This is the title of the new record that I’ve been working on for the last couple months and will be set for the release of spring 2016. I’m also happy to announce a partnership with the American veterans Association with a project  called        “Heart Songs For Veterans”, being released November 11. Proceeds for this wonderful event go to support veterans in need all over America. I’ve also just been informed through my management MTS, that I have made pre-Grammy screenings for seven different awards from the last record “Letters From High Latitudes”

Let me say thank you for having me today. As a guest it’s always a blast speaking with you. You can always find me at www.edroman.net where you can hook up with a bunch of my social networking buttons like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. You can also check me out on SoundCloud. And you can get the Ed Roman App for free on iTunes for your tablet,  iPhone or Android device. I will be in your pockets buzzing. You can also do yourself a favor and pick up my latest album “Letters From High Latitudes” today on Amazon or iTunes. You can also check out more of my music at ReverbNation.